Be a part of our 550,000 member community of multisport athletes. Membership benefits include a subscription to the quarterly USA Triathlon magazine, discounts from USA Triathlon partners, inclusion in the national rankings, excess accident insurance at events, and savings at races. To see why you should join or renew today, visit the membership benefits page. Already a member? Login below.

Top U.S. Juniors, Under-23s Gear Up for ITU World Championships

LONDON—Four 2013 national champions lead the way for the U.S. Junior and Under-23 teams at the 2013 ITU Junior and U23 World Championships, set for Thursday in Hyde Park.

These races are just two of a series of events taking place over the span of five days in London, which will also host the ITU World Triathlon Series Grand Final on Sept. 14-15. More than 650 Americans are scheduled to be in action over the course of the week, marking the largest Team USA at a world championship event outside of North America. The event features aquathlon, sprint and Olympic-distance age-group triathlon world championships, as well as paratriathlon events. Visit usatriathlon.org for full coverage of each race.

Thursday’s race action begins with the sprint-distance Junior Worlds races, which feature a 750-meter swim, followed by a 19.2-kilometer bike and a 5-kilometer run. The U23 event will follow, covering a 1.5k swim, 38.4k bike, 10k run course.

Gorman made history in 2012 when she finished third at Junior Worlds in Auckland, becoming the first U.S. Junior woman to earn a podium finish at a world championship event. Joining Gorman in the women’s race will be Stephanie Jenks (Aurora, Iowa), who finished second at the PATCO Junior Championships and third at Junior Elite Nationals, and Devon Dabney (Atlanta, Ga.), who finished second at Junior Elite Nationals. Visit triathlon.org for a complete Junior women’s start list.

On the Junior men’s side, Eli Hemming (Kiowa, Colo.) and Brent Demarest (Charleston, S.C.) will join Smoragiewicz on the start line. Hemming was the top Junior finisher in the men’s race last year in Auckland, coming in 29th place on a tough, rainy course. He earned his spot on this year’s team with a second-place finish at the PATCO Junior Championships. Demarest qualified with a second-place finish at Junior Elite Nationals and already owns a world title for winning his age group at Aquathlon Worlds in 2011. Visit triathlon.org for a complete Junior men’s start list.

In the U23 division, Erin Jones (Hood River, Ore.) and William Huffman (College Station, Texas) earned their spots on the worlds team when they claimed titles at the USA Triathlon U23 National Championships on June 1 in Dallas, Texas.

Jones, a member of the Colorado Springs, Colo.-based Elite Triathlon Academy, has had a stand-out season, earning top-10 finishes at five Pan American and World Cup events on the ITU circuit. First-year elite Chelsea Burns (Seattle, Wash.), who came to the sport through the Collegiate Recruitment Program, has earned three top-20 World Cup finishes. Visit triathlon.org for a complete U23 women’s start list.

Huffman, who earned two second-place finishes in Pan American Cup events in 2013, is joined by Ben Kanute (Tucson, Ariz.). Kanute finished third at the Dallas Pan American Cup in June and was also part of the bronze-medal winning U.S. team at the ITU Mixed Relay World Championships in Hungary on July 21. Kanute also finished 14th in his ITU World Triathlon Series debut in Kitzbühel on July 6. Visit triathlon.org for a complete U23 men’s start list.

Races begin at 8 a.m. local time. A free finish line camera, live commentary and live results will be available on triathlon.org.

About USA Triathlon
Founded in 1982, USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the National Governing Body for triathlon – the fastest growing sport in the U.S. Olympic Movement – as well as duathlon, aquathlon, aquabike, winter triathlon, off-road triathlon and paratriathlon in the United States. USA Triathlon sanctions more than 4,300 races and connects with more than 550,000 members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world. In addition to its work with athletes, coaches, and race directors on the grassroots level, USA Triathlon provides leadership and support to elite athletes competing at international events, including International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Championships, Pan American Games and the Summer Olympic Games. USA Triathlon is a proud member of the ITU and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).